Amtrak service resumes after Oakland crash

Published 4:10 pm, Thursday, October 13, 2011

Authorities say two passenger trains collided at the Amtrak station in Oakland, and local media report as many as 18 people are hurt. (Oct. 13)

Media: San Francisco Chronicle

(10-13) 16:10 PDT OAKLAND -- Amtrak service at Jack London Square in Oakland has resumed, hours after 16 people were hurt when an Amtrak train ran a red signal and hit another Amtrak train head-on, authorities said.

The crash happened at about 10 p.m. Wednesday when a Capitol Corridor train traveling 15 to 20 mph hit the Coast Starlight, which was stopped near Webster Street and Embarcadero, said Battalion Chief Emon Usher of the Oakland Fire Department.

About 150 people were onboard the trains, which were on the same track and headed in opposite directions, authorities said. Most of the 16 passengers and employees who were hurt were on the Coast Starlight, authorities said.

The injured were taken to local hospitals. The most serious injury was a broken arm, Usher said.

Amtrak officials said the moving train had run a red signal, Usher said. Train representatives told firefighters that "the red signal was akin to a traffic light," he said.

In a statement today, Amtrak said it had restored service at Jack London Square and that the cause of the crash was under investigation.

The crash is the second involving an Amtrak train in the East Bay to result in injuries in two weeks.

On Sept. 30, a southbound train hit a farm truck near Brentwood, resulting in minor to moderate injuries to about three dozen passengers.

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